Kelly Simkins owns a variety of exotic animals from around the world: Two snakes, two tarantulas, two parrots, two geckos and seven hissing cockroaches. But the rarest pet in her collection was found on a tree in the Orland Grasslands Forest Preserve.
Most cicadas are criticized for the harsh sound they make, the smell that wafts from their discarded exoskeletons and their beady red eyes. So when Simkins found a cicada with bright blue eyes — brighter than those found on actor Cillian Murphy — she knew she had stumbled upon a rare discovery.
“The blue-eyed one just really stuck out there,” Simkins said.
Blue-eyed cicadas are the feature of an “extremely rare” genetic mutation that is found in “one in a million” or even fewer cicadas, explained Dr. Mary Carrington, a plant ecologist who was a biology professor at Governors State University and is the interim dean for the university’s College of Graduate Studies.
Similar to humans, eye color is not believed to affect cicadas in any way other than appearance, said Carrington.
Two broods of cicadas that only come out of the ground every 13 and 17 years overlap in Illinois this year for the first time in 221 years. This rare instance has been exciting scientists like Carrington, who marvel at trees covered in the large bugs, enjoy the screeching sounds and study the creatures.
Cicadas started to present themselves earlier in recent weeks and are expected to stay around until late June. They are harmless to humans and the exoskeletons they leave behind can be incredible nutrients for gardens, said Carrington. The adults that shed their exoskeletons and fly away are delicious treats for a variety of other animals, playing a critical role in the local ecosystem.
Simkins hopes the Field Museum will incorporate the blue-eyed cicada into its exhibits. If the museum won’t take her cicada, she said she will get it taxidermied and save it in her collection.
She also owns a business called Merlin’s Rockin’ Pet Show, that allows schools and people to rent out the animals for educational or recreational purposes. Her pets love cicadas, she said.
“I was actually looking for cicadas for my reptiles because my reptiles eat them,” said Simkins.
But animals aren’t the only ones frothing at the mouth over these alien looking critters. Humans also have been known to snack.
“I’ve tried them also. They’re pretty good,” said Simkins. “I cook them with Old Bay seasoning.
Fry them in a pan with some butter, she advises. They taste like french fries and shrimp.
hsanders@chicagotribune.com
